Conor McGregor's fight-hyping antics can be divisive.
McGregor remains one of the most polarising figures in mixed martial arts but nobody is as good at selling pay-per-views as 'The Notorious'.
Almost two years have gone by since we last saw McGregor set foot in the Octagon and while it remains to be seen whether he'll be dealing with any ring rust, his matchless ability with the microphone clearly hadn't diminished when he took to the stage for his UFC 229 press conference.
McGregor
didn't pass up the opportunity to advertise his new whiskey and after that, the Irishman went all in on upcoming opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The
first face-off between the world's two greatest lightweights didn't disappoint but the staredown was interrupted by some comments from Nurmagomedov's controversial manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
"I know a lot about you as well, you mad rat," McGregor roared in Abdelaziz's direction. "I know a lot about you as well. You keep your mouth shut, kid.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1042901054529003520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1042901054529003520&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fconor-mcgregor-khabib-nurmagomedov-face-off-200566
"Let me take my picture. How's Noah? Shut your mouth. Never speak about me, ever in your life. Watch yourself around me because you'll be out of here quick."
The reference to Noah went over most fight fans' heads but, thankfully, there are investigative journalists like Mike Russell around to fill in the blanks.
Russell has done some incredible work uncovering Abdelaziz's dark past and he has revealed that McGregor was referring to Abdelaziz's son, who was allegedly abandoned in Colorado.
https://twitter.com/MIKERUSSELLMMA/status/1042904415601086465
https://twitter.com/MIKERUSSELLMMA/status/1042908442434985984
https://twitter.com/MIKERUSSELLMMA/status/1042948511720001537
McGregor also made several references to Nurmagomedov's ties to Russian oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov and Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov during the press conference.
The
tireless reporting of Karim Zidan on Russian politics and the association with combat sports revealed that Magomedov founded Eagles MMA fight team, which Nurmagomedov is president of.
McGregor doesn't just settle for scribbling down a few one-liners and hitting the stage. He digs deep to uncover every piece of dirt he can on opponents.
